Improvement in window-shade rollers



J. SHOREY.

WINDOW-SHADE ROLLER.

' Patented Ju1y11,1876.

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UNITED STATES vPATENT OFF1OE.

JOHN SHOEEY, OE LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, vASS'IGNOR or ONE-HALE Hts EIGHTTo OLIVER o. SHOEEY, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN wmlnow-sH-ADE RoLLERs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 79,735, dated July11, 1876; application'iled December 18, 1872.

brackets, the roller being eut away to show the inside constructionthereof; Fig. 2, a view ofthe metallicspindle in the roller; Fig. 3, anend View ot' the hub or solid part ot' the roller, having notchestherein, for the purpose herein specified; Fig. 4, aview of the lefthandbracket; Fig. 5, a view of the righthand bracket.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in an improvedtorsion-spring for windowshade rollers, being constructed with its coilsot' different diameters, whereby the tension of the spring iSstrengthened through a portion of itsrlength, substantially as hereinset forth; second, in a notched head or hub ofthe roller, in combinationwith the spindle, provided with an arm or projection to take intosaidnotches when the roller is removed from the brackets, and with aspring to force the arm into the, notches when the roller is removedfrom the brackets, the connecting parts being constructed and arrangedsubstantially as hereinafter set forth, and for the purpose Speciiied.

The improved spiral spring la, which constitutes the ijrst feature of myinvention, and is shown in Fig. l, has about one-third of its lengthsmaller in diameter than the remaining two-thirds of .the spring, itssmaller end heilig fastened to a socket, m, placed within the roller z',and its larger end being fastened to the spindle, or to a woodenattachment, g, of the metallic spindle e. One end vof this spindle ismade hat, so that it will be held without revolving in a notch of thebracket d. The other end of the roller z' has a pivot, which turns in asocket, z, ofthe bracket a, Fig. 4. When the roller z' is placed in itsbrackets a d, Figs. 4 and 5, and the shade is pulled down, the spring hbegins to wind at the small end, and that ,part having coils of lessdiameter has more power than the other part ofthe Spring; and thisgreater power is exerted when the shade begins 4to unwind, and its foldsor coils are ot' larger diameter, and require more force of spring tosustain their weight; but as the shade becomes further unwound, and itscoils become smaller and lighter, the larger part of the sprin g comesinto action and exerts less power; consequently the spring' isselfcompensating to the varying rate of the uncoiling ofthewindow-shade.

The Same, or nearly the same, result as above may be accomplished byusing two sizes of wire indifferent parts of the spring, while the coilsremain of the same diameter, instead of the smaller coils, as above setforth, using correspondingly larger wire, and vice versa, the two wiresbeing', of course, secured together, so as to act as one spring; or, asa further modification, the diameter ofthe Spring ma-y be regularlysmaller from one end to the other, the degree being proportioned to thevariation in the rate of the unwinding of the shade with a given numberofcils.

The shaft e, Fig. 2, has an arm or projec- 'tion, s, thereon, and thisshaft passes through the head or hubfof the roller, which head or hubhas one or more notches, o o, into which the arm s can enter. The socketm contains a spiral spring, u, the end ot' which has a short plug, r, tokeep the pivot end of the spindle g from contact with the said spring.Thus, when the roller'il is out ot' the brackets the spring n forces theShaft e endwise, and causes the arm s to enter one of the notches 0 o inthe hub fot' the roller, and thus holds the spring h from uncoiling; butwhen the roller t' isagain placed in its brackets a d the shaft e is, bythev brackets, forced back endwise against t-he force ot' the spring a,thereby disengaging the arm or projection s from its notch o, andallowing the roller to freely turn, as desired. The whole device actsautomatically, and is sure in its action.

l disclaim an automatic spring-clutch attached to a curtain-roller toprevent the un- `ceiling of the Spring when the roller is detached -fromits brackets; but

What I claim as my invention7 and desire tion, with a, hub or head, f,provided Lith to secure by Letters Patent, is notches o\o,ot"the spindleg, spring n, socket 1. A torsion-spring for window-shaderolim., ,andshaftfe, Yprovided with an lfirm or proers, constructed with its coilsof dit'erent dijection, s, substantially as and for the purpose ameters,as described, whereby the tension kof herein specified.

the spring is strengthened through n portion JOHN sHoREY.

ot' its length, substantially as and for the pur- VVitnesses: poseherein specified. GEORGE W. HUNTOON,

2. In a spring curtain-fixture, thecolnbina- LE ROY S. KIMBALL.

